Longing
by fictional-reality.21
Summary: She always longed for it. She longed everyday for the feeling of being needed or wanted by someone … anyone, actually. Alice was abandoned by her parents at a very young age, that made it absolutely impossible for her to ignore this longing. But as she comes across countless new people on her long run, she finds someone, she couldn't ever imagine how much he needed her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: hey guys! This is my first ever fanfic and i can only hope that you'll like it O:)  
Btw I do NOT own bakugan or any of the characters mentioned (if I did, masky would appear on all other seasons on every single episode)  
AND  
masky and alice are not the same here and are 2 different people. plus masky's first appearance is gonna be in chappy 2. :)**

** This chappy is taking place before bakugan came on earth. Now on with the story!**

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She always longed for it. She longed everyday for the feeling of to be needed or wanted by someone … anyone, actually. She couldn't put words to describe how she felt. To not to be needed, even by your own parents, definitely felt worse than horrible. She thought day and night, why had they abandoned her? Doesn't every parent love their children? Then what about her? Was she not their real child? And in this way, her mind wandered off to many unanswered questions, until she drifted off to sleep.

This is a story of a young Japanese-Russian girl, Alice, who at the very young age of 4 was abandoned by her parents. As you can see, she never came to know the reason despite 12 years of desperate search and struggle. Terrified little Alice, from her home city, Novosibirsk, wandered across countless cities and rivers, towns and lakes, valleys and hills, travelling among strangers, in some hope to find even one relative, but to no avail, she found none.

_**I can't give up hope that easily! There had to be at least one person in this world who is related to me!**_ This is what she tells herself whenever she loses that tiny bit of hope remaining in her. And like instant magic, that hope appears out of nowhere and she is set off to search again!

Alice had a gift. A gift that everybody and anybody wished to have and envied her for: incomparable beauty and intelligence. She had a striking reddish-orange hair that complemented her fair, almost pale, complexion, and wavered around her petit feminine face, like a halo. Her feline eyes were a warm shade of oak brown, that innocently mesmerized, anyone who looked into them; almost hypnotizing. They were soft and warm and held a convivial, affectionate emotion to almost everything in the world. Her lips were full and pink, almost like a doll's and there always remained a permanent and natural rose tint to her cheeks. But just as gorgeous she was, she thought it was useless. _**What can you achieve with beauty? Nothing.**_ And she honestly did not think that she was that intelligent. She thought that she could do much better to improve in her studies. Modesty and kindness, was yet another gift of hers from god.

-x-X-x-

During her 'journey', she stumbled upon a few people, for whom she started to hold parental importance. One such person was her father figure, Michael Gehabich. She had first encountered him, when she was in Moscow, at the age of 12. They were at the observatory when she accidently knocked into him. Seeing her eyes, he told her that she reminded him very much of his young granddaughter who went missing, many years ago. Alice couldn't help but compare herself to the missing girl. They started to talk and somehow she strangely felt extremely comfortable talking to this stranger and eventually, it led to her spilling out all about her life story.

And that started a new bond. He invited her to stay with him as his granddaughter and soon after she accepted, after a little hesitation, she learned that not only was he a scientist, but a Japanese-Russian scientist. He changed her name from just 'Alice' to 'Alice Gehabich', he home-schooled her and gave her all the freedom she wanted; in short, he became her father figure. And in return, she tried to be as less of a burden as possible by offering him any help he needed. She became mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually attached to him, since the day he officially became her grandfather. It was strange how she started to trust a stranger she accidently met, but she could not ignore the strong intuition in her mind about him being so familiar. She trusted her intuition and instincts and she knew that she made a right decision. He definitely felt like family.

For four years from that encounter, she lived quite happily with her grandfather and he had molded her into someone with a heart of pure gold and innocence and gave her all the knowledge in the world. Although she felt much indebted to him, she still felt that small inescapable desire to find her parents.

-x-X-x-

It was a fine Sunday November for Alice. Grandfather Michael was working on one of his existing projects and she, having finished all the house chores, was happily sipping away on a mug of warm coffee, sitting near the window sill and enjoying the snow covered view outside. Suddenly, she heard an extremely weird noise from what seemed like her grandfather's lab. Worry striking her, she ran into the lab at lightning speed, only to find him missing. She called out his name a few times, only to receive silence as a reply. She tried to calm herself down, by telling her that he might have probably went outside, in an emergency. _**But I didn't hear anyone open the door. And grandfather always tells me or at least leaves me a note before leaving. **_She searched for any note or message that he had left for her and worry started to consume her even more, when she found none.

The panic-stricken girl desperately ran further into the unexplored corners of the vast laboratory in any hopes to find him but what she saw, almost took the life out of her. Everything was out of its place with tons of papers lying around everywhere and there were even signs of struggle, like the broken wires and knocked out apparatus'. But the thing that stood out the most was the gigantic door-like metal thing that almost menacingly, hovered over the terrified red-head. _**What if something happened to grandfather..? NO! **_She couldn't let herself believe that! All of a sudden, that horrible, ghastly feeling of being abandoned returned like a strike through her heart. She tried everything in her to hold those damn tears back, but to no avail, they were much stronger than her mental strength and flowed out freely. Alice unexpectedly found herself being enveloped in a dark state of unconsciousness.

-x-X-x-

Alice woke up with a nasty headache. She groaned and rubbed her eyes a few times, unable to completely register her surroundings. Finally when her eyes cleared, she let out a small whimper, realizing where she was. _**Grandfather!**_ She didn't know for low long she was unconscious, but she definitely knew that she didn't want to stay in that horrid lab any longer. She ran out, only to stop dead in her tracks, seeing the view outside the window. _**I must be seeing things! What is wrong with me!**_ She rubbed her eyes again, refusing believing what is before eyes. Ultimately, she realized there was no problem with her eyes, when she saw other people in the street having the same reaction as her.  
It was raining cards.

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**i know it is not that great, so i'd really appreciate it if u guys review this chapter and point out any flaws or points that that u think i could improve! constructive criticism is much approved! :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey every1! Fiction is back with a new chapter! Hope you'll like it! :D  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own bakugan or any characters mentioned in any of the chapters published. (If I did, masky would still be broadcasted on every episode of all seasons!)  
Now On With the Story! ^o^**

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_Three Months Later:-_

She didn't know how, when or why, but Alice found herself caught in an online debate with her new-found online friends and she clearly knew that she was losing. Of course she would, it was five against one! How could she probably think about trying to put her reasons forward, when she knew all five of them were EXTREMELY persistent?

Her friends, Runo, Daniel, Marucho, Shun and Julie, all wanted her to come to Japan and live with them, ever since they learned that she was living alone, which was yesterday.

_"How can I come there, guys? A flight to Jap-" _

the red head was cut off once again, in her failure of an attempt to protest.

_"I told u Alice, I'll send u my own private jet. You don't have to worry about anything. And I'm sure my parents won't mind either. I think they'll be more than delighted!"_

the ridiculously rich, blonde boy on her computer screen, Marucho, replied, giving her a reassuring smile.

_"But I don't want to be a b-" _she was cut off yet once again.

_"Alice, c'mon, even I'll be going to Japan."_ The silver haired Australian, Julie, whined._ "I'm just waiting for my stinking exams to end, and believe me, once it's over, I'll be there before you can even blink. Then maybe we can have girls' night out EVERYDAY and we can go shopping and do all those cool stuffs! It will be so much fun!" _The girl squealed, nearly jumping out of her seat.

Alice frowned._ "But ho-"_

And then, it was the brunette leader, Dan's turn to cut off the poor girl. What's up with everyone cutting her off these days?

_"I know that you may find it difficult to leave that house, since you have a lot of memories of your grandfather in there, but Alice, we need you here. You're the best strategist among us all and I don't know why you don't play bakugan, but if you did, I'm sure you'd have already beaten that Masquerade creep! Our team would definitely become stronger if you were here, Alice."_ Talk about persuasion…

Alice was slightly startled when the always quiet ninja boy, Shun, spoke up in second to Dan's little speech. She always thought that he never accepted her in the team.

_"You do know the danger he poses Alice. All over the world, people are losing their bakugans to him. He defeated me, which means he's ranked # 1 now. I don't know what or why he's doing this, but I do know that he is a threat, to the whole game. "_

_"Exactly, Alice!"_ Her bluenette best friend slash Runo added. _"We need you here pretty bad. I've brawled with him and believe me he is much trickier than you can imagine. Not to mention, I lost two of my strongest bakugan to that creeper!" _Runo screeched, ready to punch her computer screen.

_"Well…"_ the redhead blinked

For once, Alice didn't find any other reasons to counter with. She looked down at her palm and sighed. They were right. Masquerade undeniably was a growing threat; a dangerous one. He sent bakugan to the doom dimension, their ultimate hell. He definitely was a dangerous, growing threat that needed to be eliminated, and fast.

She sighed again and looked up to her computer screen, to find five anxious faces waiting for her reply.

_"I-I guess you're right. Alright, I'll come."_

Her answer made the five anxious faces go overboard in joy; Julie even did a victory dance!

Alice smiled as a trail of loud cheers erupted from her brawler friends. They needed her and she would never refuse an offer where the term 'need' was mentioned. She looked down again and closed her eyes as she sat in silence.

Now that she thought about it, she still hadn't told her friends anything about her past. The only thing they know is that she used to live with her grandfather, until the day he supposedly "disappeared". She wondered if they would still feel the same if they came to know that she was an orphan; an abandoned orphan. She cringed at the images of their expressions that appeared in her head. She only had her friends now and Alice definitely didn't want to lose them; she had already lost her family.

_Grandfather…_ she opened her eyes. It has been three months. She felt tight in her chest as she thought about the days she spent without him. She missed him so much… A lone tear formed in her right eye, but she quickly wiped it away, leaving any signs of her being emotional. She was brought back to earth, when she heard Marucho speak.

_"The next question on where you'll stay, I think it will be a good idea if you'd stay at my place. There are plenty of rooms and-" _the youngest said, before he was abruptly cut short by a certain angry bluenette.

_"What do you mean she'll stay with you? Of course she'll stay with me! I'm her best friend. Her grandfather 'disappeared', so the thing she needs the most now is to have a close 'girl' friend by her side. Besides, how can she live with a guy, right Alice?"_

Alice raised an eyebrow at the last sentence.

_"Exactly!"_Julie seconded, before continuing_._

_ "How did you think that we'll let a girl stay at a guy's place, when she clearly has an option to not to?" _the girl ranted on, glaring daggers at the poor boy, mentally pulverizing him.

_"Gee guys, I never meant anything lik-"_

the blushing blonde boy tried to defend himself, only to be cut off.

_"Yeah whatever!"_

Runo said, folding her arms across her chest, frowning deeper.

_"Uhh…"_

Alice never knew what to say in these kinds of situations.

Before even she could come up with a reply, Runo jumped to a conclusion_._

_"Yup! That's it! Alice is staying with me. End of chapter. No more discussions! Tra-la-la-la-la~!_" she sang, covering her ears and eyes, a smug smile clearly visible on her face.

Dan and Marucho sweat dropped, while Shun remained poker-faced.

-x-X-x-

After an hour or so, Alice finally managed to convince herself and her friends that she will go to Japan to live with them. Julie was the only other who didn't live in Japan, but that wasn't a problem, since she visits her home country on every summer vacation.

She let out a huge sigh as she crawled onto her bed, lying there deep in thought of the events that took place within the three months of her grandfather's absence. She couldn't bring herself to believe that he had 'died'. He couldn't and she knew it. She cried everyday for god knows how long, bawling, begging and almost ripping her hair out, for her grandfather to come back. She needed him. There were even times that she considered suicide as an option, but now she cringed at that thought.

It was only after a few weeks of continuous mourning, that she realized that crying cannot get her anywhere.

_Maybe that huge metal thing in his lab teleported him somewhere!_ She jumped at that thought, a sudden flicker of hope relighting in her. She hoped that was the case. _Anything. Anything other than him dying!_ She prayed that wherever he was, and with whoever he was, he would be safe and sound.

She didn't play bakugan simply because they appeared on the same day her grandfather disappeared; the raining cards, that eventually evolved into a game. Alice definitely knew that the two incidents were related. There was no doubt about it.

Although she was a little 'afraid' of that game, she was the best strategist among her friends, often giving them clever advices and tips that repeatedly came in handy to them. She didn't know how, but everything about bakugan came to her naturally and that sort of crept her out.

And then her next worry was none other than Masquerade.

She rolled onto her right side, resting her head on her arm, thinking about him.

Where had he come from? Who is he? What does he want? Why does he wear that weird mask? What's his real name? A million more questions popped up in her mind, just by thinking about his name.

She frowned and rolled onto her other side.

It frustrated her, how mysterious one person could be and at the same time, cause just as much destruction. She couldn't deny what Shun had said earlier; he is a threat to the whole game. Bakugan was supposed to be a fun game for children. It used to be, until that masked creep showed up and ruined everything. She even heard that some kids stopped playing the game altogether to prevent losing their bakugans to the doom dimension.

Even some of the Brawlers lost their bakugans to him and now, they were more than worried. They had to come up with a plan to take down this freak. As if what she had been through wasn't hell enough, he had to come and worsen everything.

She sighed as she felt her eyes slowly closing; all that thinking did make her sleepy. She took a final peep at the clock, before giving in to sleep.

-x-X-x-

_A week and a half later:-_

Alice was slowly beginning to adjust to her new household. Runo had a great family, and she was more than content that they had accepted her in. Her parents ran a small family restaurant with, of course, Runo being the waitress. Alice had offered to help in the kitchen, only to have the Misakis strongly refuse; they couldn't and wouldn't let a guest work! especially their daughter's best friend!

Guilty as she was, the red head wouldn't give up. She definitely didn't want to be a burden, so she offered more help, all of them being turned down, until they finally agreed on her being a waitress alongside Runo. But eventually, Alice helped with more than waiting tables and the Misakis had no choice, but to let her be, seeing how happy it made her.

They couldn't deny one fact though. The customers had visibly and noticeably tripled, ever since Alice had joined; majority of them being males. The Misakis knew that more than how much they wanted to grab a snack from the restaurant; they simply wanted to see Alice or maybe even get a chance to talk to her. Alice couldn't do much but reply small thank yous and polite refusals, to all their flirtations; as much as she was happy that the Misakis now had more customers, she was starting to feel a lot insecure, not to mention annoyed. But despite all that, Alice made sure to behave well in front of them; they were customers after all!

Today was a fine Sunday, if not beautiful! There were surprisingly lesser customers than usual and a certain red head was relieved. Alice stared out of the window, as she marveled at the sight outside; finally, it was summer. Runo had gone over to a friend's house for a school project about an hour ago, so she was practically alone and bored. She was about ask Runo's parents if she could go out and that was when, Mr. Misaki came down, requesting her to fetch a manila envelope from a friend, couple of houses down the block. He even told her to take the rest of the day off.

_Finally!_

She immediately set out, after nodding a small yes with a smile and with just 10 minutes of her departure, mission accomplished! She almost ran halfway back to the house, not forgetting to enjoy the sun. Oh boy was she excited! She waved a second goodbye to the Misakis as she set out again, on a much slower and comfortable walk to the park. She smiled and took a deep breath, looking at the sky. Beautiful day indeed! She smiled wider when she realized she had reached her destination, only to have it suddenly falter off into a shocked frown.

_Masquerade!_

Her eyes widened and somehow, her face turned pink due to reasons that she herself did not know or understand.

_What was he doing here?_

She found her answer, when she saw another boy, fall down onto his knees, crying out for his lost bakugans, while the masked blonde stood, towering over the crying boy in all his smirking glory. Alice gasped, and for a moment, she didn't know what in the world her arms and legs were doing. She regained her senses, only to have her eyes widen, when she found herself holding Masquerade's right arm, just as he transported himself somewhere, taking her along!

Masquerade looked at her as though she was insane. Was she? She was still holding his arm in the middle of a... forest? ... and had her eyes still widened and face pink. His lips curled into a frown and a smirk popped up from nowhere as he turned to look at her,yanking his hand away. But that action resulted in the still-shocked redhead being tugged forward, her face and body, clashing with the surprised blonde as they both fell.

The girls eyes widened further, if possible, and she froze, her face glowing pinker by every passing second, with a good reason to.

_My first kiss…_

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**Now, I know it's not really great or something, but I'd appreciate it a lot, if you'd review it and point out any flaws or mistakes, that I'd have made.**

**Constructive criticism much approved! :D **


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey there! I'm back for good, with chapter 3! :P  
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Bakugan or any other characters mentioned, throughout the story!  
(Although I wish I did own one specific blonde.)  
Now on with le story! :P :D  
**

* * *

It didn't need a genius to guess that Alice was distracted. Her mind was definitely miles from earth and now, Runo Misaki was officially worried. The redhead had been daydreaming far too often now, not to mention she had tripped at least ten times that day. The girl had just returned from her friend's place that afternoon, only to see Alice dash back into the house. What had bothered Runo was the fact that there was hardly any color difference between the Russian's face and hair.

When she had confronted Alice about it, the redhead only grinned nervously, mumbling something about running and being exhausted.

Runo, obviously, didn't buy it; she wasn't stupid. She knew that there was something going on, because Alice had escorted to using her oh-so-terrible lying skills to cover it. But, she let it pass for that instant. She only started to get more anxious as each second passed; Alice was SO not being herself. Time to time, the bluenette had caught the girl's face turn red for obscure reasons. She did not even smile at the customers, let alone reply to them ; she tripped down half the stairway, and honestly, she started to get a little scared, when she saw the redhead bang her head with a spatula.

By evening, Runo couldn't take it anymore. She was dying out of curiosity, fear and worry for the older teen's mental state and what more? Alice was ignoring her like never before! That's it! She was going to confront the redhead once again to demand the truth, and this time, Runo was going to make sure that she received an honest answer.

On the other hand, Alice wanted to strangle herself … no, wait… let me rephrase that … Alice wanted to kill herself in every possible way she could come up with! What was she thinking! What was she doing!

_Oh God!_

She felt like a lousy … urgh! She couldn't hate herself or her life anymore. She wanted to scream out loud how much she hated that masked creep for taking away her first kiss, how much she loathed him for ruining everything! But unfortunately for her, the walls of her room were very thin, let alone sound proof, that left her with no option but to bottle up that fury, deep inside her, unless she wanted everyone in the building to know about her little 'encounter' with Masquerade.

Much to her discomfort and displeasure, her mind kept wandering off to that ever hated 'incident', every now and then, turning her cheeks, a violent shade of scarlet in the process. She was cleaning the dishes when she once again, thought about the… kiss.

She sighed as she kept down a newly washed plate in the metallic rack.

_His lips were so soft._

The girl froze mid-air, eyes on the brink of popping out.

_No! No! I did not just think that! I did not just think that!_

_Oh god!_

She wanted to bang her head against something, until it bled, and she did, with the closest thing within her reach- a spatula.

It never occurred to her even once, that Runo would eventually notice and consequently Alice was completely taken over by shock and worry, when the bluenette had first confronted her. Being Alice, she obviously had a raging battle, or in other words, a mini- World War III, going on in her head_. Should I tell her or should I not?_

Confused as she was, Alice tried to weigh her options: Tell the truth and face horrible consequences? Or give a little lie and get away with it? The coward, most obviously, chose the latter.

She absolutely could NOT tell the truth, unless she wanted to be murdered. Sure she was guilty as hell when she lied (terribly that is) to her own best friend, but she was slightly glad, when Runo suspected no more. Or thought so the redhead.

-x-X-x-

A lone computer buzzed to life, in a dimly-lit room. Its user click away on the mouse, occasionally typing a few times, until he found information, about the name he had typed in: _Alice Gehabich,_ one of the six admins of the bakugan site; the one that didn't play. Masquerade let out a low throaty growl, as he scanned the bio of the redhead. To him, she was nothing but a useless doll-face; neither did she play bakugan, nor did she have the guts to. He crossed his arms over his chest, as he examined, or rather, stared at her picture.

_Why is she so familiar? _

Well of course she is! They're enemies, they've seen each other, granted only once, and they even ki-… ahem… never mind. He arched an eyebrow, behind his glass mask, as he suddenly thought about it _again. _-Yes, much like the redhead herself, the blonde, surprisingly, hadn't been able to get the incident out of his head. He had been startled for god knows how long, after the 'incident', but what startled him even more was when he realized that he was thinking too much about it. - But that wasn't the kind of 'familiar', he meant. It was this kind of feeling… as though he had… known her or something?

_Eh?_

Nah! Just ignore it! Don't know, don't care! It wasn't as though he'd actually know her. The masked blonde held his chin in between his thumb and index finger as he scowled. But… she was just so damn familiar! Now where had he seen her? He closed his eyes, but gave up, after a few torturous minutes of racking his brain. He was not losing his senses now, was he?

His mouth, suddenly and dramatically, twisted into an angry frown as he realized that he had wasted too much time thinking about something so insignificant. Who in the world was she anyways? He had better things to do than bother over a redhead and a small incident with the lips. He glared at the girl's picture, before switching off his computer.

His frown, transformed into a wide smirk as his mask glinted evilly in the dim light. Alice and her pesky little meddling friends were going to pay, no matter what. Especially that _Dan._

-x-X-x-

It was bed time in the Misaki residence, and while Alice prepared the bed, Runo prepared for another round of confrontation. The Russian smiled, as she saw her best friend walk into the room, but it slightly faltered, when Runo suddenly slammed the door shut and locked it, turning to Alice with her arms folded across her chest. But she quickly dropped it to her sides, walking over to the confused redhead to sit beside her.

"Alice..."

the girl trailed off.

How break it to her? Runo was slightly confused on how to approach the other, but she wasn't the one to have internal battles, that raged on for god knows how long. Her mind was set up instantly: she was going to be, or at least, going to try to be calm and rational.

"Alice" she repeated. "I know that everybody in this world… have their own personal space, secrets and what not and I know that includes you too. But Alice… you've been acting really strange lately… and I know something is wrong, even if you deny it a hundred times." she paused for a bit, before continuing. Alice was somewhat surprised at Runo's gentle tone. _What happened to her?_

The bluenette sighed and held Alice's right hand. "I know that you may find it a bit uncomfortable to tell it out… but… I'm your best friend remember? Don't you think that you can trust me?... tell whatever's bothering you to me?"

"…"

Alice blinked once and forlornly looked down at their joined hands. She really wanted to tell Runo everything. She felt so damn guilty for making her best friend worry, but right now, she didn't have the guts to open her mouth, let alone speak out what had happened.

"Whatever it is, you will have half the burden off of you if you reveal it..." The bluenette smiled reassuringly.

The older teen sighed… Runo was right… there was no use hiding it from her… she was bound to find out about it someday or the other. _Why prolong the inevitable? _ She quoted something she had read in her favorite novel.

Wait a minute!

How would Runo find out, unless Alice does not mention who she was talking about? Alice's eyes widened a little, which went unnoticed by Runo. Now where had that thought come from?

She finally managed to stutter something out of her voice box "Th-there was this… b-boy … I met i-"

"I knew it! It was boy trouble after all!" the victoriously smiling younger girl exclaimed, suddenly jumping into hyperactive mode. "So tell me! What's his name? What does he look like? Is he cute? How old is he? Where does he study? Wait!... Do you like him?"

Alice's eyes widened in horror as she shook her head, wildly refusing; curse her voice box for not functioning when needed! But to no avail, the bluenette ranted on, practically screaming.

"OMG! Does he like you? Did he confess? Was that why you were so red in the afternoon? What did you say? I can't belie-"

"RUNO!"

The girl jumped, suddenly and finally, stopping her tirade, to stare at the redhead in surprise.

"You're getting it all wrong! We just met today." Alice wailed weakly, her cheeks glowing red. What in the world was Runo asking her!

Runo's expression was replaced with a confused frown. "Okay…so you guys don't like each other yet. But why was your face red? No wait let me change that. Why _is _your face red?"

Alice blushed deeper as she looked down. Runo and her curiosity! Seriously!

"Well..?" the bluenette tapped impatiently. She was, finally, reverting back to her irrational and anxious self.

The redhead looked up."We… a-accidently…k-k-kissed"

"Why haven't you two young ladies slept yet? It's past 9:30 now and Runo, don't you have school tomorrow?" a manly voice called. The girls' heads sharply turned towards the source of the voice.

"Dad!" the bluenette cried, placing a hand over her thumping chest, her face pale. "You scared me!" Alice sweat dropped.

"Uhuh… and I'll get scarier, if you girls don't go to bed right now." Before Runo could protest, as usual, Alice cut in. "Alright Mr. Misaki… we... uh… were about to sleep anyways. Runo… umm… had a little… doubt about a homework … and uh… shewasjustaskingmeforhelp!" The redhead grinned nervously, mentally shooting herself; her lying skills couldn't get any more 'wonderful' could it?

Mr. Misaki cocked an eyebrow at the redhead, and Runo followed suit. "… Alright then… now you girls go to sleep, before you hardly have time to get some shut eye" Runo blinked at Alice. "Off you go. Goodnight angels. Sweet dreams." He cooed sweetly, turning off the lights as Alice and Runo plopped onto their beds. "Goodnight Mr. Misaki/ dad." The girls sang together as Mr. Misaki stepped out and closed the door.

"Alice, you SO are giving me a _detailed_ description after school."

The girls said no more as they slowly wandered off to sleep. Alice dreamt of the 'detailed description' Runo had demanded and she couldn't do much but slightly smile in her slumber.

-x-X-x-

_"Masquerade! I'm here!" A peal of playful, high-pitched laughter echoed through the blonde's ears from nowhere as he whirled around, searching for the owner of the voice, among a wild mass of trees. _

_"I'm not there, I'm here!" Her petite, dainty voice flowed through his head as he frowned and whirled around again._

_"Nope! Not there! To your left! Now turn around! No, no, no! Turn to your right. Yup there I am!" Her ringing laughter sharply pierced through the air, when he found a large pine tree in front of him, as a result of obeying her directions._

_"Ha-ha! Fooled you!" She cooed playfully, before breaking into another fit of laughter._

_Okay. He was starting to get irritated now. He growled as he looked, up squinting through the blinding sunlight, to examine the tree. Was she sitting somewhere up there?_

_"You don't have to search for me up there. I'm right behind you!" He turned around instantly, to catch a glimpse of a fair face and long red hair, before it hid behind a tree trunk. _

_"Ha!" He smirked, running over to the spot he had seen her, only to find nobody. She giggled again, a little louder this time. "Am I too fast for you?" She giggled yet again._

_Masquerade gritted his teeth. He was getting tired of her games; he was angry now. "Who are you! What do you want!" He yelled, punching the tree he was standing next to._

_She laughed that oh-so-infuriating laughter. "That's for me to know and you to find out!" She chimed playfully._

_Masquerade growled. _

"JUST STOP!"

The blonde shouted, sitting up from his bed. He gasped heavily as he realized that it was just the same dream all over again, only much realistic this time. He tried to squint through the darkness, before turning on his side lamp, dimly illuminating his room. Much to his irritation, he had been getting this absolutely idiotic dream about some annoyingly mysterious girl every night that cut him short of his sleep.

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he furiously gritted his teeth, thinking about the girl. That was when the _redhead _and that _incident_ crossed his mind. Hold it! He opened his eyes as he realized something. He felt that the Alice was familiar. Maybe… maybe she could be the… girl… His eyes widened, before considering it as a possibility. He suddenly found himself transporting across his mansion, from his bed room to his computer room.

He switched the machine on, before opening the unclosed browser of his last search: the admin information of Alice Gehabich.

He scrolled down the page, to find the picture of the redhead, smiling innocently and his eyes widened once again. No wonder she was so familiar.

_It was definitely her.  
_

* * *

**A/N:** **There! Chapter 3 all done! :P hope you'll like it. Now review please cuz I kinda put my heart and soul into writing this chapter, even though I know I might've made mistakes. Constructive criticism MUCH approved! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**First off, I'm soo sorry that I haven't updated in such a long time. You could almost say I had a mini writers block. *bows a hundred times* but I'm back! And I made sure this chapter is super lengthy as an apology for being so tardy. :3  
Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan or any of the characters mentioned. :D  
Now on with the story! :D**

* * *

A week later:-

"Ohmygosh, Julie! Are you serious? Tell me you are not kidding here!" _*pause*_ "NO way! And you didn't even tell me!" _*pause*_ "nuh uh, don't call it a surprise! You hid a secret from me! How could you!" _*pause*_"okay then! Alright, bye!"

Runo finally hung up the telephone after practically screeching into the poor device for what seemed like two hours. It was obvious in her voice that she was ecstatic about something and she literally started shaking, unable to contain the excitement. She let out a small squeal before shouting "ALICE! COME UP HERE RIGHT NOW! EMERGENCY!" and breaking into another louder squeal.

The redhead, who had been merrily washing the dishes, almost dropped a newly washed cup as she heard Runo shout and suddenly her face paled horribly. _Emergency? _A million thoughts rushed into the girl's mind about what could've happened, before she ran up to their sleeping quarters in the speed of light.

"What happened Runo?! What is it?!" she expected to see the bluenette to be in some kind of trauma, but the sight of an overly excited and happy-jumping Runo confused her.

"Oh Alice! Youwon'tbelieveit!It'sJulie!ShecametoJapantoday!Shedidn'teventellus!Shewantedtosurpriseus!OMGOMGAndguesswhat!Shejusttoldmethatareallycute guyfromherschoolaskedherouta ndshesaidyes!canyoubelieveit!imsohappyforherthaticanthelp butsquealoutloud!"

The girl panted as she looked at Alice, with expectant eyes waiting for a reply, but all the older girl did was arch an eyebrow.

"uh… Runo, sorry but, I did not understand a word of that you said"

The bluenette slapped her forehead. She took a deep breath before calmly and slowly, explaining it to the redhead again.

"Julie came to Japan today morning, and she didn't tell us 'cause she thought it would be a surprise for us!" Alice's eyes widened and she appeared shocked for a moment.

"Really?! Oh my god, that's great! We'll finally get to meet her!" Alice was beaming while Runo giggled.

"I know right! And she also told me that she was asked out by a really cute guy from her school! And she said yes!"

The girls soon found themselves engaged in a deep talk about boys and crushes, all the pending house chores forgotten, until Runo's telephone started to ring for the second time that day.

"Oh my god! It's 5:40! We were talking for so long!" Runo squealed before quickly answering phone. "Hello? Oh hi Marucho!" _*pause* _"Really? Tomorrow?" _*pause*_ "oh my god… is it something bad?" _*pause* _"Everybody's gonna be there?" _*pause* "_Alright, I'll tell Alice as well. Thanks Marucho, bye. See you tomorrow!"

She sighed and looked at Alice. "Marucho's gonna send his butler to pick us up tomorrow after school. He said he found something really suspicious about Masquerade and that the rest of the team would be there as well." Alice frowned pondering about the masked blonde. _Suspicious?  
_

"I wonder what it could've been." She mumbled, as she tried to think of different situations, but she quickly snapped out of it as her eyes landed on the clock. "Oh no! It's almost 6! Customers are gonna come and I'm not even done with the dishes! Runo, could you help me out?"

"Of course" she replied, rushing out of the room with Alice following. The two girls worked in silence as they washed a seemingly never-ending pile of dishes and Alice's mind suddenly wandered off to the day she told Runo about that kiss incident. She had told the younger girl (or rather lied, after much practice, that is) that she was taking a stroll in the park and didn't notice a boy walking in her direction; they collided and she fell on him and their lips met. That was the story Runo held on for now and of course she hadn't forgotten to shower Alice with questions about the boy.

_Was he cute? – Yeah, kind of, I guess.  
What colour was his hair? – Blonde.  
What did he wear? – Uh… white shirt and blue jeans.  
What colour were his eyes? – Uh… I'm not so sure if I noticed…  
Did he talk to you? What was his voice like? - … He didn't say anything…  
What was the kiss like? Was it nice? – Runo! What in the world are you asking! _

Alice shivered at the thought. She was not going to kiss anybody again in a long, long time. She sighed. _How would Runo and the others react if they found out that I kissed our worst possible enemy? Or worse, how would grandfather react?! _She sighed again as she thought about the scientist… She missed him so much… she had a very strong intuition that he must have been transported by that _thing _in his lab. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, thinking about the day he went missing, three and a half months ago.

"Alice, what do you think about Masquerade?" the redhead snapped out of her thoughts at Runo's words. "Huh?"

"I mean, why do you think he is being such a jerk? He could've been a normal kid just like us for all we know. Why can't he act normal though? Sometimes it infuriates me, what exactly is his problem?"

Alice raised an eyebrow as she took in what the bluenette had said. Now that she thought about it, why hadn't she seen things in that way? Maybe... just maybe, he was also a normal teenager with normal emotions deep inside his cold self, just like anybody else. "I… don't know…" She looked down at the last plate on the sink before grabbing it. "Maybe he had a bad past or something? Or maybe he just … likes being rude and being in power? … I don't know" She shrugged.

"You know what? I think his problem is that he is an absolutely conceited idiot who thinks that he is the greatest bakugan brawler ever. His pride got into his head" Runo face imitated that of a stuck-up, arrogant expression and Alice burst out laughing, tears brimming in her eyes. "Oh god, Runo! That was priceless!" She burst out into another fit of laughter, and Runo followed suit.

They didn't know how time had passed but soon enough, they heard the first customer of the evening entering the restaurant. Runo immediately rushed out to welcome them in and Alice heard the sound of Runo's parents joining the bluenette.

-x-X-x-

"Hal-G." An arrogant, masculine voice called out in a dark room, merely lit by a lone computer screen. His reply was a sudden materializing of a green-skinned, human figure, wearing a dark purple cloak. "Masquerade. How are my plans going? Master Naga is getting weaker and impatient as we speak!" he spat the words out with venom, as though a threat. But the blonde simply frowned and turned to face the _creature._

"_Your _plans, need a little time to be put into action. I just found that the sixth member of the Brawlers arrived in Japan today."

"So? What does that have to do with my flawless pla-"

"It has everything to do with your plans, unless you do not want perfect results." Masquerade silenced him before continuing. "It is obvious that once all six are united, they'd try to devise a plan. At this point, it would be rather foolish to launch individual attacks on them. It would do no harm."

"So then what do you propose, oh_ wise one?_" Hal-G mocked humbleness.

_Old bat… _Masquerade cursed in his head, but his lips crept up into a smirk. "Spy"

"That's exactly what you are doing now, Masquerade! You're spying them through every possible way. What more spying could you possibly do?" The green-skinned man was getting aggravated now.

"Spying _up close" _Hal-Gs eyes lit up in surprise and his lips dramatically broke into a sinister grin; Masquerade smirked in satisfaction.

"And how do you intend to do that?"

Masquerade pulled out something the size of half a pea from his pocket, resembling two flat square pieces of metal. "Does this ring a bell?" he exclaimed, as the mad scientist took a closer look at the two strips of metal and suddenly, his eyes widened as realization struck him.

"Of course! My Spyr'cod-3XZ! My very first nano-technology! My very first miniature sound recorder! Now why hadn't I thought of that? Where did you find it? It's simple and very, very useful but it is one of my_ most evil _inventions!" He broke into a loud fit of maniacal laughter and Masquerade grinned wickedly, his eyes gleaming with pure lust for evil, behind his mask.

"But how are you going to place this on a brawler's body? You can't just walk up there and stick it on them."

_Oh yes I can_… Masquerade grinned thinking about a certain gullible redhead. "That is something you don't have to worry. I have everything planned."

"Very well, I shall inform Master Naga about the sudden change of plans. And make sure you hurry up. By the rate of the things you are doing recently, I'm starting to have doubts, if you really are faithful to your Master."

The blonde lost it. "Shut up old man!" but there wasn't anybody in the room anymore, except himself. He gritted his teeth and glared at the spot where the mad scientist was a few minutes ago. He snapped and pursed his lips, before his signature smirk crawled onto his face. _The brawlers will go down; even if it means that I have to get a little 'intimate' with that red-haired girl again. _

His mind randomly wandered off to his weird dreams and how he had recently found that he couldn't remember anything before he decided to work for Naga. He could only remember a three months detail from sixteen years of his life.

-x-X-x-

The weather forecast for Monday was supposed to be sunny, but all Alice could see above her head was thick, dark grey clouds. She groaned silently as she walked to the grocery store, carrying a large basket and some change. There had been a handful of customers and the Misaki's found that they were well out of milk; funny how majority of the orders were for hot chocolate.

The road was cacophonously empty and Alice shivered silently as she made her way; not because it was a bit chilly, but because she was scared. Not a soul in sight and Alice was sure she'd faint if she continued any further. She was relieved when she saw her destination just a few meters away, but immediately realized, with wide eyes, that she'd have to cover the same route back. Fortunately, she remembered a shortcut which Mrs. Misaki was talking about the other day, and hoped that it wouldn't be as uncanny.

Bad choice

Now the shortcut back was a deathly quiet alley and there were nothing but eerie old trees surrounding her and a stony disheveled road. A very bad choice; she could already feel chills running down her spine as she walked through. She tried to comfort herself saying she didn't have much distance to cover, that she'd reach back in no time. She remained unaware of a pair of eyes, among the wild mass of trees that stalked her every movement, as though she was a prey.

A low chuckle rang in her ears and Alice almost had her heart stop for a moment. The terrified girl turned around, slowly, tightening the grip on her basket. Her face paled as she found nobody around her and she further tightened her death grip on her basket. Scared out of her wits, she turned back, continuing her journey when she suddenly bumped in to something or rather _someone. _

"Boo!" The person smirked

Adrenaline pulsated through her veins as she suddenly dropped her basket and let out a blood-curdling shriek. The stranger suddenly grabbed her and placed a forceful hand on her mouth and successfully stopped her from screaming. She blinked back newly formed tears and struggled against the guy, before a familiar voice echoed through her ears.

"Would you stop squirming? You're messing up my clothes" The girl stopped abruptly and turned her head upwards to catch a glimpse of an ever-familiar mask and her eyes widened.

_Masquerade!?_

He let her go once he made sure that she regained her wits and Alice cringed back in embarrassment.

"Masquerade! What are you doing here?!"

He smirked. "Nothing at all, _Alice. _I was bored and just decided to check upon my _favourite_ brawler." His voice had that menacing edge to it and Alice suddenly feared for her life. "Tsk I'd say you're quite amusing when terrified, so vulnerable" He cooed as he inched closer and tucked a stray strand of the petrified girl's hair behind her ear.

He chuckled and Alice felt chills run down her spine for the second time that day.

_Oh god…_

Wait. Why was she acting like a deer caught in the headlights? He could be fooling with her for all she knew. She tried to put up a brave front.

"What do you want Masquerade?" She eyed suspiciously and picked up her basket from the ground. One moment this and the next moment, she was pinned against a tree, the basket thrown somewhere he couldn't care less about. He held both her arms with a single hand and used his other to cup her cheeks. His hands were as cold as metal, she noted and he smirked at her.

"Getting brave are we? Well, to answer your question, I wanted to try something." He liked it this way. She was all vulnerable and her eyes gave him the exact reaction he wanted while his remained hidden. Alice's lips quivered as she stared up at the masked blonde, a new kind of fear engulfing her; her stomach felt ticklish at that moment as she realized their sudden proximity.

Without a warning, he crushed his lips against hers and for a moment, she forgot how to breathe. Her face turned multiple shades of scarlet and fresh tears brimmed around her eyes as she realized her attempts to break away were futile. She felt his ice-cold hands move from her cheeks to the back of her neck and she shut her eyes close. A minute later, she found herself kissing him back with equal force, when all of a sudden he pulled away.

She could still feel his cold hands around her neck and she reached a hand out to soothe down her tingling skin, only to be caught by Masquerade's icy hands.

"Look at me" He demanded and she followed, trying to look through his glass mask, although she was simply staring back at her own reflection. He kissed her again, gently, and she closed her eyes, but this time she felt weightless, as though she was flying. When she opened her eyes, she was standing in front of the restaurant, with the basket in her hands and Masquerade right beside her. He suddenly pulled her chin up.

"By the way, you look pretty when you blush" and he vanished just like that, with a fall of sparkles.

_Wh-what just happened?_

Alice touched her lips and suddenly her face turned from pink to red to purple to white.

_I … I kissed him again!_

The redhead was sure she wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

-x-X-x-

Masquerade sat on his bed as his mind replayed over the recent happenings. He was confused. Why did he do that? Why did he kiss her twice? Once was part of the plan. It was a distraction to stick the Spyr'cod-3XZ on the back of her neck. But why in the world did he kiss her twice?!

He unexpectedly had a splitting head ache, worse than twenty bullets driven through his brain and clutched his head in his arms. Suddenly an unknown, old man's voice echoed through his head.

_'Promise me, that if you'll ever find her, you'll keep her safe.'_

He didn't know why but he suddenly felt that he shouldn't have used her in that way.

* * *

-x-X-x-

**Cliffhanger! XD sorry again! Julie's back! Marucho has found something suspicious and Masquerade doesn't remember a thing about his past! This is going somewhere *dropping hints* XD**

**But for now… I'd really make my day if you'd post a review and maybe point out any flaws that I'd have made. I'd also take it as a sign that I am forgiven for being so tardy… *hides from death glares* :S **

**And again, constructive criticism much approved! :D and please look forward to chapter 5! :D **


	5. Chapter 5

***peeks from behind wall*  
I'm so sorry I haven't updated in like months now! *bows* and I really am thankful to all those who are still bearing with me and reading this till now! I lub u guys! And just so you know, it was my birthday on Friday… the day when the world was, apparently, supposed to end. Hehehe… I'm 15 and still alive though XD  
Disclaimer: I don't own bakugan. You know it XD  
On with the story people! :D**

The ride to Marucho's skyscraper of a home was rather quiet, but if someone would bother to notice, they'd literally feel the awkward tension hovering around them. Alice and Runo didn't know that Kato would be picking up Shun as well and their first meeting didn't seem as friendly as the redhead hoped it would be. Shun hadn't accepted her yet and Alice noticed his discomfort clearly plastered onto his face. She felt a wave of guilt flashing through her.

Well of course that wasn't the same case for Runo, since she'd already met the ninja once, a while back, but what actually bothered her was something that she'd seen just moments after she arrived from school. She wasn't sure who it was but there was some awfully familiar blonde standing at such close proximity to Alice … maybe it was just her eyes playing tricks on her because just moments after, there was nobody next to the girl anymore.

She was confused enough to pretend that she didn't see anything and the day went on until Runo was practically itching to fry the redhead with questions now. Alice was lucky that Shun was nearby.

"We're here little master and misses" Kato's cheerful voice broke the uncomfortable ice and Shun was the first one to get out. Alice couldn't understand what she did to attain such a reaction from the long-haired male, but she couldn't help but wonder why he had spoken up for her that day, so many weeks ago.

_"You do know the danger he poses Alice. All over the world, people are losing their bakugans to him. He defeated me, which means he's ranked # 1 now. I don't know what or why he's doing this, but I do know that he is a threat, to the whole game. "_

Well of course it was related to bakugan… but did that mean he had so much confidence in her that he thinks she can beat Masquerade? That didn't even make any sense, but Alice figured she'd have to ponder about it way later, because as soon as she entered Marucho's majestic living room, she almost had a heart attack seeing her grandfather's picture on the gigantic LED screen.

"Hi guys!" Dan and Marucho greeted them in unison

"ALICE! RUNO! HI!" An energized Julie suddenly pounced on the two girls with new found vigor and enveloped them in a suffocating bear hug. "Omygosh! am I excited to finally see you!" She squealed as she finally gave them some air and Runo and Alice tried their best to give a genuine, happy smile. Well they tried.

"Oh hiya Shun! Glad you could make it here!" The male just muttered a 'hi' before leaning against a wall and zapping off to daydream mode.

"Alright guys sorry for interrupting this little reunion but you need to know about this thing I found." The blonde walked over to the keypads, typing something and the screen flickered off to show a full bio data of someone Alice knew only too well

"This man here is a Russian-Japanese scientist Dr. Michael Gehabich. He is pretty famous in Russia and is known to be the best in his department. He used to live with his son and daughter-in-law until they were brutally murdered in a very confidential massacre in Moscow, during the early 2000. He had been living alone in his laboratory ever since, until his recent disappearance."

Alice was stoned to silence and she made sure she didn't move a muscle.

"Okay… so what does this guy have to do with bakugan at all? Did he invent them or something?" Dan arched an eyebrow.

Marucho smiled. "No he didn't. But he did something that accidently led the bakugans to earth.

Everyone gasped as half realization hit them across their face; Shun remained poker-faced though.

"I somehow received these strange signals from somewhere off north. And using my mega-intel processor (A/N: I made that up) I managed to hack into the source of the signals. It was a video from a laboratory and it seemed more like a distress signal, but the person was in such a rush that either he didn't notice he hadn't enabled video access to anybody at all, or he didn't know that it wasn't enabled. Like I said, I barely managed to hack inside. He has one of the strongest firewall security I've ever come across."

When Marucho turned around, he saw that all their faces were agape in shock.

"But there's more to it." He continued before clicking on a remote and a video started playing.

An old man suddenly popped up on the screen, his hair and beard disheveled, and there was a massive current of air that was apparently wrecking the entire lab, turning desks and tables upside down and shattering apparatuses; it seemed as though he was holding onto something for dear life.

"HELP! THIS IS AN EMERGENCY! IF SOMEBODY MANAGES TO FIND THIS VIDEO PLEASE REPORT THIS TO THE RUSSIAN NANOTECHNOLOGY STATION! I REPEAT PLEASE REPORT TO THE RUSSIAN NANOTECHNOLOGY STATION!" they noticed that whatever he was holding onto, his grip was becoming slack

"AND PLEASE, PLEASE FIND AND ESCORT MY GRAND-DAU- AAAAAHHH!" he didn't get to complete his sentence as he suddenly lost his balance and he yelled as he was sucked into a gigantic door-like thing that was humming loudly. Suddenly, it went off with a loud beep and everything stopped. The screen then went blank.

The room suddenly filled with hushed whispers Alice was mortified. How could she not have heard her grandfather's cry for help?! How could she not have found that darn video when she went there?! How could she be such a useless… ugh! Now, she really hated herself. Her eyes were red with puffiness and she tried to hold back her tears although she knew they would eventually pour out

"Oh my god! This is not good! What happened to the scientist?! Oh my god!" Julie was frantic.

"Well… that's what the real mystery was… until I found another video from the same source…" Marucho pushed his glasses up his nose as he clicked on another button on the remote.

"What?!" they asked in unison

A second video started playing and the blank screen flickered to life, showing the large door-like thing emit beams of blinding purple light. Suddenly two silhouettes appeared from the thing and the lights faded off to a dim purple hue. As the screen cleared, the silhouettes took the appearance of none other than Masquerade and a green-skinned man with a purple cloak.

"Hal-G… I believe we have _work _to do." Masquerade stated and the two disappeared into thin air. The giant thing behind them stopped glowing and the video ended.

The brawlers were so shocked, they couldn't move. But Marucho continued on despite that.

"That portal was something Dr. Michael was working on for that past few years, before his disappearance. I found that the Russian Nanotechnology Station and NASA had identified a second dimension, somewhere not far from our own planet, where they guessed life existed and of course, it was kept highly confidential. Dr. Michael and a few others were in charge of building a portal opening to the other world, after they identified the location. But it turned out, as Dr. Michael had finally finished the portal and activated it, something went wrong and he was sucked into it. He was clever enough to video it, but sadly… nobody could find it. I'm guessing his collaborators don't even know about his disappearance."

…

…

…

Marucho turned around to finally meet the eyes of his open-mouthed best friends.

"What?" his face turned red.

"Marucho… how did you even know about these things?" Shun broke the ice, sounding a tad suspicious.

"Well… I'm not going to lie… my father is best friends with a high ranked official in NASA. I kind of overheard him speaking on his phone to someone when he visited us that day at our house warming party. I kinda figured most of it when he said the scientist's name. And I suppose that Hal-G is the scientist himself, although I'm not sure what happened that made him like that. I guess that remains another mystery for another day. And in case of Masquerade, I have no clue who he is, but I'm sure that whoever he may be, he's not the mastermind… Hal-G is my suspicion."

Alice wanted to die.

-x-X-x-

The day had continued on pretty much fun for everyone except Alice. Time to time she excused herself to the washroom and she didn't return even after a noticeable amount of time. She told them that she wasn't feeling well

_'It's just a sudden migraine you guys… you don't have to worry!'_

Runo doubted more… right now the bluenette kind of felt bad that she was suspecting Alice so much, but how could she not? Everywhere she went, she found something that, in her dictionary, would seem suspicious and as days pass, the suspicions are confirmed. She decided to ignore the temptation to ask Alice for a while… she had peppered the redhead enough over the past couple of days; it was time to give her some space.

And then again, there was _Dan _on her mind all day and she couldn't understand how a person could be so dense. Everything she tried to do enhance their friendship to a more comfortable level always resulted in the opposite, mainly, she believed, due the male's lack of intelligence.

She watched him laugh, hifi-ing Marucho, from a little distance away and she definitely couldn't deny it now; they had gotten pretty awkward after quarrelling so much over the past week… she wondered if he even considered her as a girl anymore… She shivered but for now, she knew her feelings were to be locked up tight inside her… she put on a brave smile and walked cheerfully over to their table and joined the conversation, as another kind of longing found its way in her heart.

**Yes, yes I know, I know the incredibly small chapter and the sudden Runo-Dan drabble at the end… well… I realized that I kind of totally adore this pairing so much, I just needed to include them in it! :3 give 'em some love! :D**

**I kind of have my exams coming up and home works have established their own exclusive kingdom in my bag. Trust me… it is more populated than china. -.- So that means that I wouldn't be updating in a really long while… :(( I'm really sorry… and I swear I haven't lost one smidge interest in this… actually.. things are just beginning to get… **

**So please bear with me and review, so that when I come back after my long hiatus, I can find my ultimate source of motivation and inspiration as my recovery from the brain damage I'd acquire during exams and as encouragement to give better chapters!…. :D constructive criticism is loved! **

**Oh and Merry Christmas in advance to everyone! Have a great 2013! :D Saranghae *it's a phrase in Korean btw***


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